You are here

Endangered species protections sought for U.S. wolverines

Global warming and other threats ignored by Bush administration, species survival punted to Canada

(07/08/2008) - WASHINGTON – The
United
States must protect endangered wildlife
from global warming and other threats within its own borders and not rely on
another country to do the job, according to a coalition of 10 conservation
organizations that announced today its intention to file a legal challenge
against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

The
groups contend that FWS violated the Endangered Species Act
(ESA) when it refused to protect
wolverines in the U.S. because a healthy population
still persists in Canada. FWS’ decision is its latest
justification for denying long overdue protections to this imperiled animal --
protections which were first petitioned for nearly a decade ago.

“With
the wolverine decision, the Bush administration is essentially outsourcing
responsibility for our wildlife to other countries,” said David Gaillard, the
Rocky Mountain region representative of
Defenders of Wildlife.
“Wolverines are as American as the bald eagle, gray wolf and grizzly bear, all
of which might have vanished from the lower 48 if the same reckless policy were
applied to them. Now with global warming compounding the many threats facing
snow-dependent wolverines, protections are needed more than ever to ensure that
this magnificent animal continues to call the
U.S. home.”

Earlier
this year, FWS conceded that if nothing is done, “the [lower 48 wolverine]
population will be at risk of extinction.” Yet FWS decided that it would not
take steps to protect the species. According to the coalition, the fewer than
500 wolverines left in the lower 48 represent a distinct population that is only
tenuously linked to the Canadian population of wolverines and in desperate need
of habitat and other protections.

FWS’
decision not to list the wolverine as a threatened or endangered species
underscores the current trend by the Bush administration to deny full
ESA protections to at-risk species
whose range extends beyond U.S. borders, including the cactus
ferruginous pygmy owl, Montana fluvial arctic grayling, Mexican
garter snake and others. FWS also recently refused to create a recovery plan for
the jaguar, citing the existence of jaguars in
Mexico.

“This
policy essentially tells our children and grandchildren to go to
Alaska or
Canada to see wildlife. That is not right, and it’s certainly
not what Congress intended in the Endangered Species Act,” said Tim Preso, an
attorney with Earthjustice, which is representing the coalition in court. “We
will do everything we can to reverse this stunning new interpretation of the
law.”

The
wolverine, already suffering in the U.S. from trapping, habitat loss, and
other human actions, is especially vulnerable to the effects of global warming
because it depends on deep snow for everything from travel corridors to snow
dens where they raise their young. Wolverines once roamed across the northern
tier of the U.S. and as far south as
New
Mexico and southern
California. But now wolverines have been
reduced to small, fragmented populations in Idaho,
Montana,
Washington and
Wyoming.

“Americans pride themselves at
looking after their own, and this absolutely includes our wildlife and the
places they need to survive,” said Joe Scott, international programs
director for Conservation
Northwest. “How can we ask poor, developing nations to protect their rainforests
if we won’t lift a finger to protect nature in our own backyard? It is time that
we live up to our responsibilities and provide the conservation leadership that
the world desperately needs right now.”

"The
decision to deny the wolverine protection is characteristic of the Bush
administration's disdain for the nation's wildlife,” said Noah Greenwald,
science director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “The Bush administration has protected
the fewest new species under the Endangered Species Act of any administration
since the landmark law was passed, to date having only protected 60 new species
compared to 522 under the Clinton administration and 231 under the
senior Bush administration.”

Defenders of Wildlife is
dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural
communities. With more than 1 million members
and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative
solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.defenders.org.

You may also be interested in:

Bears die when they get into trouble with people’s garbage, livestock, when they are hit by cars and trains or illegally killed. By preventing these conflicts we can keep bears alive and on the road to recovery.